Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-12
WHITNEY'S ILLNESS.
ls Il Due to the MsIarioHs POtemac?-
His Daily Horseback Rides and His
Methods OF Diciaiions
How he Mode Seventy Thousand Dollars
Out of Grasslapds, and How he KeepV
-Four Houses Open.
specia, Correspondence of the Gazette.


his friends at the Navy Department will
coucede. He hiss been under the wealth
er for several months, for his illness has
been SIS far as possible concealed, and 1t
would not now be known were 1t not that
il is feared report would be dissemna-
ted that he had lost his mind. Certain
statements that were made led his friends
to suppose that such a superstition might
arise and they have put forth the state
ment that he is incapacitsted from WORK
on account of severe headaches. This
statement is true one as far as 1t
goes. The Secretary's mind is as clear
as bell and it is only continuous menJSl
labor that affects his head. He has had
these headaches for year or more, out
they have steadily Increased during
the past summer until his doc
| tor has now absolutely for
hidden Department work. 1t is said that
he will be back st the Navy Department
within few weeks, but l am informed
by one OF his most intimate friends that
| it is hardly possible that he can recover
without months of complete rest. He
| will make no report of his work during
the past year, and this Notwithstanding
that his notes for such q report have
| been gathered together ard that the ma
terial is ready for him to dictate it. Sec
retsry Whitney ig very proud OF the work
he has done in the Navy Department
during the past year. He has let con-
trscts running into the millions, and hiss
reorganiz3d several branches OF the de-
partmenI. If his sickness were TO be Of
| q week or so he would not reIinquish the
| ides that he might complete his report
during the month Of November, but the
matter will be now handed over to the
Acting Secretary and the report will be
furnished by him to the President.
| Secretary Whitney will remain away
from Washington for some time and
whether he leaves the Cabinet or not he
will 90 to some place where he cannot be
disturbed by public men. This place may
be Lenox, Massachusetts, and one OF his
friends advances the idea that he may
possibly go abroad. Whether he can do
this and still retain his Cabinet position
| is question though think there is moth
| ing in the law to prevent it. The Senators
of the United States are often abroa d
when they should be in their seats in the
Senate chamber and the judges OF the
| Supreme court frequently make trips to
Europe.
Secretary Whitney's sickness has it's
| origin in two causes. One OF these Is
overwork, and the other is the Potomac
malaria. During the past summer he has
spent more time in Washington than anY
| OF the Cabinet ministers, and some Of the
| hardest work which ne has done during
his administration has been during the
hottest months of last summer. His
Office in the Navy Department has great
windows which lock out upon the Poto-
mac, and the foul air from the fats has
blown in upon him. Upon the Potomac
fats the dredges have been working al
| summer, and when it is considered that
all the sewerage Of the city goes into the
river, the character of these breezes can
be understood. The Navy Department
itself is located within an eighth OF q
mile of the river banks, and the
fact shat the Secretary rode
every right to Grasslands has not
saved him from its disease-bearing intu-
ence. He has at the same time been bust
~ engaged upon his letting of large con-
| tracts, and he has had to Investigate
these matters for himself, While Gar
land was rusticating in his log cabin at
Hominy Hall, near Little Rock, and Eudi-
colt WAS breathing the salt sea air which
blows through Salem, Mass; while Villas
was boating on Lake Mendoza, which
washes his home at Madison, Wis, and
Lsrmsr was taking his first vacation with
his new wife in Mississippi, Whitney, the
society man of the Cabinet, was digging
away among facts and figures and breath
ing all the while this malarious air. He
would come to the office at $50 or 10 IN
Irthe morning, and would not leave it until
4 in the afternoon, and the result is the
sickness which invariably comes to the
Cabinet ministers who live in these
buildings and disregard the
laws Of health. Chandler
was sick nearly all the time he was head
of the navy and great deal OF his WORK
WAS done in bed. He had the dyspepsis
continually and his predecessor Secretary
Hunt was not at all well while he wa;
Secretary. The sickness OF Manning snc
Folger was undoubtedly added to by the
malarious influence of the Potomac ant
President Cleyeland's rheumatism had it,
origin in the same quarter. 1t Is only
, the sturdiest exercise that keeps Bayar(
In good physical condition and Sscretar,
whitney would have broken down Ions
since had it not been for his love OF horse
back riding. Don Cameron and Secretar.
, Bayard were frequently seen with him
r and just adjoining his country estate Ii
the Country Riding Club which is kept a.
by the weather. of the public men and
the young bloods Of Washington society
: whitney secured the whole countr.
about Washington on horseback betoI
he bought rasslands 1t has been goot
investment for him. He paid $50, 600 TO
it, spent $4,000 in repairing the hous
and in fixing up the grounds and has nov
sold 1t for such price that he has mad
> between 100000 and $4,000 out of ii
r He still keeps full corps o
t servants in it whether he is Their
e or not, and there is always some on
/ ready to receive and welcome visitor
8 The mistress or Grasslands. during tn
!. absence OF the Secretary aud his family
is an ebon-hued maiden whose name ii
Priscilla, and who is q grest faVorit'
with the legations. She has directions t.
o open the house to al who come, and sh
can talk French like native. There
always a nice lunch on the sidebosrd dur
i ing the afternoon, and Priscilla tells 81
t callers to help themselves to the wine
q upon the table in the hall. Secretar
I Whitney has retained lease upon Grass